Who Has Large Fowl Silkies From TSC Store?

[ronott1]

Do you plan on using them for meat?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Most likely some of them anyways. I'll sell some too.

 

[ronott1]

Most likely some of them anyways. I'll sell some too.

Here in the Bay Area, there is a market for black boned chickens in the Asian community

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm from Michigan, so I don't know where you're talking about.

 

[MysteryChicken]

How big are your silkies?

 

[ronott1]

I'm from Michigan, so I don't know where you're talking about.

Note: I do not know how true this is but it is why silkies are big in the Asian community

The special and fabled Silkie Chicken takes a second place. The Silkie Chicken is an ornamental chicken breed from Asia (wu gu ji, in Mandarin). You may not be able to tell from their white plumage (that is soft as silk), but they have dark blue or black skin and bones. In soup, the meat often falls apart into thin threads, which has been described as "bamboo-thread chicken" (juk si gai, in Cantonese) Threads and silk have similar meaning, which may be why these chickens are called Silkie chickens. In Chinese food culture, the black chicken meat is considered medicinal or a curative food. It is known for being restorative and as a tonic for building blood.

The information given by the Squab Producers of California (SPOC) is that:

"... Silkies contain certain hormones, blue pigment, and amino acids which can increase blood cells and hemoglobin, and many use it to aid with women's health relating to pregnancy and child bearing. In fact a sizable industry now flourishes in China marketing products based on the black colored foods and herbs, with these factories manufacturing pills designed to help with various illness which include the meat of the Silkie mixed with many herbal combinations...The health benefits aside, Silkie is popular for its very sweet and rich flavor. Silkie chicken is often enjoyed at banquets as well as at home. It is most common now to enjoy Silkie in a very special soup containing particularly flavorful herbs."

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In the US there is only one standard for Silkies where as the UK has both bantam and not. They are all consider bantam in the US.

In my own breeding stock I have seen some large boys... it's key IMO for breeders to select against large size...

I think Silkies should be bantam. Personal preference of course, to each their own!

That was always my assumption, that in the US silkies were bantams. I know that judges are beginning to sometime give preference to larger birds (even though they contradict the standard)

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've also read that their meat reduces aging and has a rich game like taste.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do you plan on using them for meat?

I do (did) use them... for meat. Figure that's just proper hatching management to eat what you produce excess of. Silkie bantams dress just fine for the table and are great conversation starter. Surprisingly not harder to pluck than anything else. Not gonna lie... some are more worth my time than others and I have considered making a maggot bucket other means of using the much smaller boys.

I'm not sure I would call them black boned or meat... skin yes. I recently processed some even... am I that forgetful. Flavorful also. But it's still chicken, I doubt it's any more medicinal in reality than any other... but Hey, show me some science and I'm down.

Good luck whatever adventure you choose.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'll give you a link.